1/8/12 (Sunday):  I've been working on the internet and have come up with some tentative plans for our upcoming trip to New Zealand.  We'll start on the North Island to visit my son and his family in Wellington (see the map New Zealand).  I've put together a tentative itinerary for our South Island tour.   South Island Route. We've rented a small camper, so we can pretty much go when and where we want.  If anyone has been there and done that, we'd sure appreciate some input!

We're taking the ferry from Wellington on the North Island.  We pick up our camper (see the link:  Our Rental Camper) at the ferry station in Picton on the South Island.  We'll also get some groceries to stock the camper.  We'll head down the East side of the island.  The first stop is Kaikoura, a scenic town known for a variety of marine mammals, including giant sperm whales, dusky dolphins, seals and the royal albatross.  Kaikoura

Next stop might be Christchurch, but it was hit by two earthquakes in the last year.  There's not much left to see of the historic central city to see, but we're researching whether there's anything we want to do there.

Next we'll head south across the Canterbury Plains, through the historic town of Geraldine and into Mackenzie County.  Canterbury Plains.  The scenery is supposed to be great.  As we head toward Mt. Cook, we'll make brief stops at Lake Tekapo, a beautiful turquoise glacier-fed lake.  Lake Tekapo  There's a church on the shores of the lake that is one of the most photographed in the world.  It's made of stone and sand from the lake shore.  Church of the Good Shepherd.  We'll follow the Tasman River all the way to the alpine village of Aoraki/Mt. Cook.

Our next destination is Mt. Cook, whose Maori name is Aoraki.  It's in the Southern Alps, which run the length of New Zealand and is the highest mountain at 12,316 feet.  It has three summits and is bounded by the Tasman and Hooker Glaciers.

From Mt. Cook, we'll head to Dunedin, which is our last stop on the East Coast.  It's known as the Edinburgh of New Zealand because of its Scottish heritage.  It lies at the foot of a long harbor surrounded by dramatic hills.  It's one of the best preserved Victorian and Edwardian towns in the Southern Hemisphere.  This is also where we hope to see some rare blue penguins and the only breeding colony of the Royal Alatross.

Next, we head West toward Te Anau, the hub of the Fiordlands region.  We'll cross the Waimea Plains towards Fiordlands.  We'll overnight in Te Anau, driving through the pristine beech forests toward Milford Sound.  We hope to take a day cruise of either Doubtful Sound or Milford Sound.  We'll also try to see the famous glow worm caves.

Next we'll drive north, following the shores of Lake Wakatipu toward Queenstown.  All over New Zealand, most of the tourist activities seem to be very strenuous -- bungee jumping, kayaking, long hikes and the like -- and Wiley is probably not up to a lot of these activities.  We plan to do a lot of scenic drives and pick and choose the things we're able to do.  Queenstown is famous for some of the strenuous activities I just mentioned, but there's also a gold mining area called Skipper's Canyon and a gondola ride to the Skyline, which will probably suit us just fine.

We'll continue north along the shores of the Southern Lake District to the Haast Pass, then North through dense rain forest broken by rugged coastal vistas.  A short side trip leads to a number of glaciers.  We plan a full day at the Franz-Josef glacier.  If we're not able to hike the glacier, we may take a flight over it.  We'll also visit Kotuku, home of the beautiful white heron.

Continuing North, we'll stay for a day in Punakaiki, home of Pancake Rocks and blowholes.  Check out this link: Punakaiki.    While in the area, we may also visit the Brunner Mine Site, the remains of one of New Zealand's most productive coal mines.

It's another scenic drive through the Marlborough Sounds from Punakaiki toward Nelson.  The beaches here have golden sand and nearby are the largest fresh water springs in New Zealand.  If we are up to it, we'd like to rent sea kayaks and see the famous blue penguins and seal colonies here.    A bit further North is Abel Tasman Park, the sunniest corner of New Zealand.  There's a lot of Maori history in this area.  It's also famous for its long golden beaches, untouched forests, and rugged mountains.  It's also a magnet for creative people, with more than 350 artists and craftspeople, both contemporary and Maori.

On the seventh day, we'll head back to Picton to turn in the camper and take the ferry back to Wellington on the North Island and another short visit with my son and his family.

Open to suggestions!